


Of Tea and Blankets

by MeBeThem4815



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Crying, Cuddling, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, First Kiss, M/M, Mental Breakdown, Suicidal Thoughts, backstory confession, modern au but with magic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-30
Updated: 2018-11-30
Packaged: 2019-09-02 19:06:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,637
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16792948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MeBeThem4815/pseuds/MeBeThem4815
Summary: Molly tries to get Caleb to open up.





	Of Tea and Blankets

**Author's Note:**

> HAPPY YULE! This was a gift for the Widomauk Server Exchange and this is a gift for the wonderful Madcow! She asked for "Modern with magic AU! Caleb's struggling to talk about his mental health and it's starting to get serious. Molly takes note of this and is determined to help him before shit really hits the fan. Preferred genres would be Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a happy ending (or sad, i don't mind), triggering topics are fine as well." and I hope she likes it! 
> 
> HAPPY YULE OR CHRISTMAS OR HANUKKAH OR WHATEVER YOU CELEBRATE

There was a knocking at the door and Caleb glanced up. His bedroom was open during the day to allow Frumpkin to come and go as the cat pleased, and there was Molly standing in his doorway, rapping on the jam with his knuckles. 

“Hey, can I talk to you for a moment?” Molly asked. 

“Ah, ja.” Caleb said, pushing his desk chair back. He may not have been in the Academy anymore, but he still pushed himself daily to learn new skills and spells. He took the time to straighten the blankets on his bed, knowing Molly would need somewhere to sit in the Spartan severity that Caleb kept his room in. The door shut with a click and Molly padded over. He sat on the bed, curling his tail over his knees. 

“Okay, I’m going to be frank with you Caleb. When was the last time you ate a proper meal?” 

“What?” 

“When did you eat last? And I don’t mean cereal from the box. When was the last time you sat down and ate?” 

Caleb opened his mouth to reply and then realized that his ‘breakfast’ had been a cup of coffee. He frowned and tried to think of the last time he properly ate. He knew he was thin; sometimes when looked in the mirror before bed he could see his ribs. 

“See? And when was the last time you took a day off?” 

“I do not need a day off, Mollymauk. I am fine.”

“Caleb, don’t shit a shitter.” Molly looked him dead in the face. Caleb squirmed, glancing away. 

“I have not had a day off since I was a child. Why would I need one now?” 

“Caleb, when was the last time you smiled?” 

Caleb glanced up at Molly, frowning. 

“Molly, where are you going with this?” He asked. 

“I’m worried about you. We all are, but I’m the one who spoke up first.” 

“What is there to be worried about? I’m fine.” Caleb said. He had to be fine. He had to be fine because not being fine was an admission of weakness and weakness got you killed. 

“Caleb. You know we share a wall, right?” Molly reached behind him and tapped the wall, diving his room from Caleb’s. 

“I know.” 

“Ye know I hear it when you have nightmares, right?” Molly asked. 

Caleb bolted. 

He made a beeline for the door only to have Molly cut him off. The tiefling loomed in front of him, horns and tail making him seem larger than life. Panic started to claw at his throat and the walls seemed to press in. 

“I do not have nightmares.” 

“Yes. You do. Every night. You call out for your mother and father. I hear you, Caleb.” Molly protested. 

“Is there a point to this, Mollymauk?” Caleb asked. “Or are you doing this to make me angry?” Most people knew not to meddle in the affairs of wizards, for they were quick to anger and quick to sling a spell. 

“I want you to talk to me.” 

“I do not talk to Nott. What makes you think I would talk to you?” Caleb spat out. Molly grabbed his cheeks and kissed him. Caleb froze, unsure of what to do. They had gotten drunk one night, a few weeks ago, and Molly and Caleb had kissed on the porch. Caleb had written it off as a drunken mistake when Molly hadn’t spoken up the morning after. 

“Because, Caleb, I want to be more than your housemate. If you’ll let me.” 

“No. No, you do not want this. You do not want me.” Caleb said. He could feel his breath catching in his throat and his voice coming quick and tears in his eyes. “You cannot want me.” 

“Yes, I do.” Molly said. “Caleb I….” He hissed in frustration, tail thrashing. “I’ve been in love with you since I met you.” 

“No.” Caleb shook his head and the tears started to fall. “Please, Mollymauk you cannot mean that.” 

“I do. Caleb, I love you.” Molly grabbed his cheeks and wiped his tears away with his thumbs. The contact made Caleb and try to wriggle out of the teifling’s purple hands. 

“Please, Mollymauk, stop.” He begged. 

“No. I love you and I’m worried for you. Caleb, you’re going down a dark path.” Molly moved his hands to Caleb’s arms and held him tight. “I love you and I want to help you.” 

“You cannot love me.You cannot help me. I am monster. Let me go Mollymauk.” Caleb pleaded, trying to escape. It was just them in the house at the moment, and he knew he could cast a spell and hurt Molly to get away, but he didn’t want to hurt Molly. He cared for Molly, despite everything. He cared for Molly deeply and he knew it was a fool’s hope, he knew that he wasn’t the kind of man who got nice things. 

“You’re not a monster.” 

“Yes, I am.” 

“No, you’re not.” 

“Yes, I am!” Caleb broke free and cried, backing away from Molly. “I am a monster. I am not worthy of you. Just go.” He was crying in earnest now; big messy sobs that wracked his skinny frame. He had been trying to keep from crying for years now, and now that he was crying the tears wouldn’t stop. The pain of a shattered heart and the weight of his sins weighed down Caleb’s soul until he broke with it, making a fist and biting it to keep from making noises. 

“Caleb, darling, you’re no monster. You’re just a little broken.” Molly said gently, stepping forward. “And that’s okay. We’re all a little broken. We make a family because we’re all broken in a way. You’re not a monster.” He gently reached up and pried Caleb’s fist from his jaw. “None of that now, darling. Come on, speak to me.” 

“I killed my parents, Mollymauk.” Caleb deadpanned. He was looking at his bedroom door, refusing to look Mollymauk in the face. “I killed them. I tied them up, locked the front door, then burned my childhood home to the ground. I murdered them. I made them die a horrible death.” 

The bite on his fist was throbbing with pain and Caleb craved more of it. The pain kept him grounded; the pain kept him here, not in the dark on a winter night, listening to his family scream and plead and beg for the lives as they burned to death. 

“I don’t care.” Molly said. “You know how I feel about the past, Caleb. I told you. That night on the porch.” Molly gently took Caleb’s hand in his own and muttering a word in Infernal. “Do you remember that night?” The pain in his hand lessened and he saw a drip of blood run down Molly’s neck. The tiefling wiped it off without thinking. 

Caleb nodded, unable to speak. He was crying and wrapped his arms around himself. Molly closed the gap, wrapping his arms and tail around Caleb’s skinny form. 

“Then you know I don’t give a shit about the past. That’s then. This is now. This is what I’m concerned with.” Molly tucked Caleb’s head under his chin and started to comb his hair with his tails, purple flashing through red. 

“How?” Caleb gasped. He wrapped his arms around Molly and tucked his face into the tiefling’s neck. He smelled like vanilla and patchouli and coffee and cigarettes and he smelled like Molly and oh Caleb’s knees went weak with the smell. He knew what Molly smelled like; he knew what Molly looked like naked thanks to his habit of walking around the house nude. 

“I’m living here. Not then.” Molly said. 

Caleb broke. His knees gave out and he clung to that silly coat of Molly’s as he tiefling let him cry. Molly guided him to the bed and he fell onto it, bringing Molly with him. He ended up curled into a tiny ball, the tiefling wrapped around him, muttering nonsense words and petting him as he crumbled. 

It wasn’t as bad as when he broke the first time; then he had felt his mind shatter. This time, his mind stayed whole while his heart shattered. Molly was whispering and saying how he wasn’t a monster, how Molly didn’t care, how Molly still loved Caleb. 

“No.” Caleb tried to wriggle out of Molly’s grasp, protesting. “Do not say that.” He sobbed. He was a mess; there were tears and snot in his beard and he was shaking and he wanted nothing more than to curl up somewhere dark and quiet and private and never come out again. 

Molly grabbed his cheeks and forced Caleb’s head up. 

“Now you listen to me, Caleb Widogast. You are stubborn and smart and charming and wise and quick. You are a clever man. And I love you and I will tell you every fucking day until you believe me.” He kissed Caleb, tears and all. 

Caleb found himself kissing back, giving in to what he wanted and running his hands over Molly’s back. Molly whined against his mouth, tracing his forked tongue over Caleb’s lips. Caleb gasped and Molly took the chance to cradle his face and thoroughly kiss him. Molly’s tongue was flicking along his lips and Caleb could taste him. He wasn’t sure what he was doing, but he pulled Molly’s shirt out of his pants and ran his fingers along Molly’s skin. The tiefling broke the kiss with a gasp, whining. 

“What do you want, Caleb?” He asked. Caleb wasn’t crying any more, but his chest was heaving. 

“I…..” He stopped. “Do you want the truth?” 

“Of course.” 

Caleb glanced up into Molly’s face, eyes wide with fear. His blue eyes, those brilliant blue eyes, were drowning in tears and filled with pain and it hurt Molly to see. 

“I want to die.” Caleb confessed. 

“It’s alright my love.” Molly pulled Caleb’s head under his chin and held him close. 

“I want to die, Mollymauk.” Caleb confessed. “I haven’t killed myself yet because I have work to be done. When the work is done….” He trailed off. 

“You’ll have me.” Molly said. “You’ll have me and you have Nott and Beau and Jester and Clay and Fjord and Yasha and we love you. We’re a family Caleb. Family sticks by each other.” 

“I killed my family.” Caleb started to cry again, and Molly held him close. 

“No. We’re still here. You haven’t killed us, Caleb.” Molly stated simply. That trust that Molly showed caused him to start crying again. 

He wasn’t sure how long he was crying, all he knew is that by the time he had cried himself out there were tears stains and snot stains on Molly’s shirt and Caleb’s left arm was totally numb. He sniffled and took a shaky breath. 

“Okay, feeling better darling?” Molly asked. Caleb nodded, still not able to talk. 

“Okay, no words yet but that’s okay.” Molly mused. “How about we wrap you up in a blanket and I get some food and tea in you and we take a nap?” Molly offered. Caleb nodded, sniffling. 

“Okay, sit up for me, darling.” Molly urged. Caleb did just that and Molly rose from the bed. There was meowing at the door and Molly beamed. He quickly rose up and let the cat in. Frumpkin made a beeline to Caleb and jumped up onto his lap. He put his paws on Caleb’s chest and started headbutting him and purring and licking his jaw softly. 

“That’s a good cat.” Molly mused. “Now, I’m going to put a blanket in the dryer for you and put the kettle on. I will be right back, okay darling?” Molly padded over to him and, with a gentle hand under his chin, tilted Caleb’s head up. Caleb nodded, petting his cat gently. 

“Good.” Molly bent his head and kissed Caleb before leaving him with his cat. 

Molly worked quickly. He grabbed the softest blanket he could find (one hand-knitted by a lovely woman that Jester was friends with, someone named Caliana so it was technically Jester’s but Molly knew that she wouldn’t mind it being used for this at all) and threw it in the drier. He also filled and put the kettle on, pissed, and changed his shirt and took off his shoes. He also took the chance to wriggle into some soft cotton pants because he had a feeling that Caleb needed to cuddle and cuddling in skinny jeans is never comfortable. The blanket was nice and toasty and Molly hurried over to Caleb with it, fresh out of the drier. 

“Hey there you are.” Molly smiled softly. Caleb was right where he had left him, Frumpkin on the bed next to the human, getting belly rubs. “Here.” Molly stepped closer and draped the warm, heavy fabric over Caleb’s shoulders.

The tension visibly bled from Caleb and he reached out, tugging Molly close. He wrapped them both in the blanket, resting his head on Molly’s stomach. Molly smiled softly, petting his red hair.

“How about some food?” Molly offered. “I can’t cook much but I can make eggs. Does that sound good?” 

Caleb nodded as the kettle started to whistle. 

“Come on darling, I know you’re particular about your tea.” Molly muttered. Caleb rose softly and shuffled into the kitchen. He didn’t have much in the way of energy, but he managed to make his tea and start nursing it as he sat on the counter. He was wrapped up in his blanket, hands cradling his mug as Molly quickly scrambled eggs. It wasn’t the best thing he had eaten, and it tasted like ash, but Caleb found that he wanted to make Molly happy. He slowly picked away at the food as Molly sat next to him, petting him. 

When his plate was empty and his mug drained, Molly helped him back into his room. He shut and locked the door and crawled into bed with Caleb, wrapping his arms around the human. 

“Mollymauk?” Caleb asked softly. 

“Ah, there’s your voice. Yes, my love?” Molly asked gently. Caleb wriggled about to face the tiefling. 

“Are you…are you my boyfriend, now?” He asked. 

“That’s up to you. I’d like to be.” Molly confessed, brushing some of Caleb’s hair from his forehead. 

“I…I do not know if I am ready for that level of commitment.” Caleb said with a tiny smile. “So…how does the word ‘lover’ sound?” 

Molly beamed, cupping Caleb’s face. “Lover sounds wonderful. I’ve always liked that word. ‘Lover’ is so very intimate. It speaks to so much more depth than ‘boyfriend’.” He explained. “I’d like to be your lover, if you’ll have me.” 

Caleb tilted his head up and kissed Molly. It wasn’t intense as their last few kisses, and Caleb was still a mental and emotional wreck. But it was soft and gentle and it hinted at a promise. Molly made a happy noise and kissed his lover back. 

“Thank you, Caleb. For letting me help you.” Molly said softly. Caleb didn’t say anything; he had used up his ability to speak for that. He just snuggled Molly closer. The tiefling reached out and wrapped the blanket around them both as Caleb yawned. 

“Yeah, it’s been a helluva an hour.” Molly said. “How does a nap sound?” 

Caleb nodded, tucking his face into Molly’s neck. His lover wrapped his arms around him, tucking him close and holding him. 

“I’ll keep watch, Caleb. Go sleep.” Caleb found himself relaxing with the weight of the blanket and the heat coming from Molly’s tiefling form. His eyes grew heavy and his body went lax and the last thing he heard before he drift off was Molly. 

“Thank you for letting me help you.”

**Author's Note:**

> As always, find me on tumblr at matt-the-blind-cinnamon-roll and on twitter at mebeshe4815.


End file.
